Chapter 448. Grocery Shopping
“Spring has arrived~ The animals are back in mating season~”
As Ning Chu stepped off the bus, she opened her umbrella and muttered to herself with a teasing and joyful expression.
Just thinking about how many people would accompany her to play “Succubus” made her inexplicably happier.
“Hmm?”
Wen Yang looked back at the little demoness in confusion.
“The dormitory was probably having silver parties every day for the past two months with Lily around!”
“Is it that exaggerated?”
“Absolutely! Their dorm is filled with fantasy girls! Plus, both the Kitsune and Xin Ya are all about spring romance, and Lily is always ready to go!”
Ning Chu envisioned the scene and clicked her tongue in amazement: “Sounds terrifying~”
Just the thought of three girls playing with toys together in the dorm was enough to make one cringe!
Though to be honest, she was also living it up every night…
After getting off the bus, the two of them arrived at a vegetable market an hour away from school.
This market was recommended by Lily, claiming the prices were cheaper than the supermarket, and the variety was better. Sure, it was in the suburbs, not a city center market, but that was good enough for Ning Chu.
After all, she wouldn’t be cooking much anyway.
She and Wen Yang had already eaten lunch; now they were here to buy ingredients for dinner.
“Are you going to work later?”
“Yeah, I’ll come back in the evening, and if it’s not raining, I’ll go set up the stall.”
“Why are you so busy all the time~”
“Starting next week, I’ll be training with the basketball team three times a week.”
Seeing the little demoness puff up her cheeks, her adorable displeasure made Wen Yang unable to resist ruffling Ning Chu’s hair: “But we’re together every day anyway, right?”
To avoid showing that clingy, little girl act, Ning Chu turned her head and swatted his hand away.
“What do you want to eat tonight? I can look up a recipe and make it for you.”
“Well, I’m not picky. You choose what you want.”
If I knew that, I wouldn’t be asking you…
The two walked into the alley where the vegetable market was located. It was already afternoon, and it was still raining. Only about thirty percent of the stalls were left.
The ground was full of dirty puddles, and piles of rotten vegetable leaves lined the streets, with a faint fishy smell in the air.
This market in the suburbs had a very average sanitary environment, but Ning Chu and Wen Yang looked like tourists on an outing, curiously glancing around at everything.
Yesterday, Lily had brought Ning Chu here, and at that time, she just wanted to buy the vegetables and leave quickly.
This time, she hooked her arm around Wen Yang’s and, on tiptoe, quietly introduced, “That butcher over there is super shady. I bought a lot of meat from him yesterday, and when I got back, I realized I was shorted!”
“And that crab vendor is just as bad! They said it was full of meat and roe, but when I steamed it at home, it was practically empty!”
Wen Yang, puzzled, asked, “Crab? I didn’t eat crab last night, did I?”
“How could I serve you something empty~? I ate it all myself!”
Ning Chu proudly lifted her chin.
Compared to the supermarket, the prices at the vegetable market were cheaper and the products fresher, but the scams here were definitely more numerous.
Most things weren’t clearly priced; you had to haggle verbally, and there was a risk of being shorted, relying entirely on the vendors’ honesty.
As they strolled through, Ning Chu had no intention of haggling, and just bought the ingredients as the vendors offered, neatly handing the items to Wen Yang before moving to the next stall.
“Feels like we overspent…” she muttered quietly, “Do you think they’re treating us like suckers?”
“As long as it’s cheaper than the supermarket, it’s fine, right?” Wen Yang comforted from behind, “And the vendor was pretty friendly, even helped us clean the veggies.”
Not only did they help clean the veggies, but they also filleted the fish and cut the meat into strips, so when Ning Chu got home, she just needed to wash them a bit, sprinkle some seasoning, and it would be ready to cook.
She probably wouldn’t even need a knife.
“True… Wen Yang! Want some sauce pancakes?!”
Ning Chu suddenly spotted a sauce pancake stall and her eyes lit up as she leaned forward to take a look: “They just came out of the pan!”
“Go ahead and buy if you want.”
“I just ate! I’m afraid of gaining weight.” She hesitated for a moment but tugged Wen Yang along decisively, “Forget it, I already had fried chicken legs and milk tea earlier. If I eat this much, I’ll surely get fat.”
Although Wen Yang was very satisfied with her figure, she was still hoping to lose a bit, especially the meat on her thighs.
“If you can’t finish, I’ll help you out.”
Wen Yang’s words immediately made Ning Chu stop. Ecstatic, she pulled him toward the sauce pancake stall.
“Boss, one for five yuan!”
Even though she was from the south, she had a peculiar passion for all kinds of wheat products.
After receiving the sauce pancake from the vendor, she took a blissful bite, then furrowed her brow and immediately tossed the pancake to Wen Yang.
“What’s wrong?”
“It’s so good… You try it.”
Wen Yang could tell at a glance that the pancake tasted terrible.
Though Ning Chu was becoming a bit spoiled by him, she wouldn’t just buy something and take one bite before throwing it away.
“My hands aren’t enough.”
“Then I’ll help you. It’s really delicious!”
Ning Chu turned back and used a stick to spear a big mouthful of pancake and shove it toward Wen Yang’s mouth: “Right?”
Wen Yang’s cheeks puffed out like a hamster as he chewed vigorously for a moment before finally swallowing the pancake and rolling his eyes at her: “Are you trying to choke me?”
“Is it good?”
“Just okay.”
“Okay? There’s no flavor at all! It’s like plain flatbread! They couldn’t even be bothered to brush on more sauce for a sauce pancake! It’s the worst!”
Ning Chu looked furious; she had never tasted such a terrible sauce pancake in her life!
Not even a cafeteria could compare!
After wandering around the market a couple of times, Wen Yang was already carrying several bags of ingredients, but Ning Chu still had her head peeking around, eager to buy a bit more.
“That’s enough; otherwise, cooking will be a hassle for you.”
“It’s fine; I have nothing to do this afternoon. I’ll whip up something delicious for you.”
Ning Chu was already planning in her mind what she could make with the ingredients she had just bought.
Stir-fried pork with green peppers, sauerkraut fish, stir-fried garlic kangkung, a pot of oyster tofu soup…
Following a tutorial would make it easy enough; she lifted her head confidently: “Just wait for dinner, it’ll definitely be way more sumptuous than the cafeteria meals.”
Wen Yang calculated how much they spent today: “The problem is, cooking seems more expensive than eating at the cafeteria?”
“……”
Ning Chu froze for a moment but waved her hand dismissively: “Cooking is healthier~ Last week, someone found iron wire in the cafeteria food~”
It definitely turns out cooking at home is worse than eating in the cafeteria! Not only did she spend more, but she was wasting her entire afternoon!
The more she thought about it, the more it felt like a loss, but suddenly an image of Wen Yang happily devouring the food she prepared flashed through her mind.
Watching her carefully prepared meal being cleaned up by Wen Yang, the sense of accomplishment and happiness filling her chest was unmatched by most things.
Maybe it wasn’t such a loss after all…
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